Turn with me, please, to the
book of Mark. Pray for me. The Lord will bless
His Word. Mark chapter 10. Very, very familiar
text. I'm going to use this for a starting
place. This course, starting in verse
46, is a tale of Blind Bartimaeus. Mark 10, 46. We'll read through
the end of the chapter. And they came to Jericho, and
as he went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a great number
of people, Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the
highway side, begging. And when he heard it was Jesus
of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son
of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he
should hold his peace, but he cried the more a great deal,
thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still
and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said
unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight, And Jesus said
unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. Now we
have heard, all of us, I think, many, many sermons from this
text, but I want to look at three words. He calleth thee. And I want to
look at the calling of God to lost sinners. how that he brings
about salvation of his people. That call, that effectual call,
that irresistible call. Before we do that, I want to
just say a couple of things about Bartimaeus. He is such a good
example of a lost sinner that knows his need. It says he sat
by the highway side. This was no doubt a busy thoroughfare. And as he sat there, over time
he began to hear about this one named Jesus of Nazareth. And
he actually heard that this man had given sight to the blind. That he had given life to the
dead. He had given feet to the lame. And Bartimaeus, no doubt in his
helpless state, thought, if I could just get to him, perhaps he would
give me my side as well. And he knew when the Lord finally
did come to him, and keep in mind that he didn't go to the
Lord, the Lord came to where he was, that he began to cry
out because he knew that if our Lord left that place, that his
hopes of ever having his sight restored would be gone forever,
that he had this one chance. And that's a picture of what
takes place when a lost man or woman is brought to the place
where they know their lost state, they know that they cannot help
themselves, they've done everything they can to no avail, and they
must have Christ. And he comes to where they are,
And at that point in time, knowing their need, they cry out, as
Bartimaeus did, Our son of David, have mercy on me. This is such
a perfect picture. Such a perfect picture of what
happens when a sinner is awakened to his need of Christ. And notice here this wording,
that it says, that Jesus stood still, And don't miss this, and
commanded him to be called. This was not a request that our
Lord made, it was a command, and this is how he calls all
of his people. The word command here, it means
to direct with authority, to have control or authority over,
to have at one's disposal. And this is also what happened
when our Lord called his disciples. He said, follow me, and off they
went. Now let me say something at the
outset here so that there is no mistaking about the calling
of God. We're looking at God's call to
sinners. It's absolutely 100% His choice
to whom He calls and to whom He doesn't, to whom He brings
to the light and to whom He leaves in darkness. And when men and
women protest that choice, that sovereign choice of God, you
can be sure that it is because they have never seen their need
of salvation. Let me try to illustrate this.
There is a group of men sitting on death row. They've exhausted
all their appeals. They're facing certain death.
The day of their death is all they have to look forward to.
But they hear that the governor has granted a pardon. Now what
do you think their reaction would be? Certainly it wouldn't be,
that's not fair. Who is he to decide who lives
or dies? That's the worst news I've ever heard. No, that wouldn't
be their reaction. Each one of those prisoners would
undoubtedly be thinking, is it me? Can it be possible that I
might not face death after all? And that's the reaction of men
and women who see their need of Christ, and only men and women
who see their need of Christ. They don't look at this as an
unfair action that God takes towards
sinners, that election is not right, that God has no choice
or no right to choose who he will and leave who he will. And
the guards, you can bet that the guards on death row saw no
good in that decision with the governor. They had no need of
any pardoning. They weren't guilty. They weren't
facing death. And Matthew, turn to Matthew
4 with me. Matthew 4. This is where we read of the
calling of some of Christ's disciples. Now keep in mind, there were
many, many fishermen by the lake that day. Christ could have called
any of them, but He chose specific ones. In Matthew 4, we'll begin
reading in verse 18. And Jesus, walking by the Sea
of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers.
And he said unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers
of men. And they straightway left their
nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he
saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John
his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets,
and he called them. And they immediately left the
ship and their father and followed him. This, again, demonstrates
Christ's sovereign choice in choosing and calling who he will
and leaving others to themselves. The calling of Matthew happened
much the same way. We read in Luke's account, it
says, after these things, he went forth, Christ went forth,
and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of customs.
And he said unto him, follow me. And the scriptures tell us
that he left all, rose up, and followed him. Now when we read
that Matthew was sitting at the receipt of customs, it means
that he was collecting taxes. But notice what happens when
our Lord commands him to follow him. Verse 28 says, and he left all. He left his job security and
all the money he'd collected that day just sitting there and
obeyed the command of our Lord when he said, follow me. Now come unto me, all ye that
labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. It's not an invitation.
It is a command. Our Lord commands his people
to come. And the scriptures tell us that
thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Psalm 110
verse 3. This calling is what we refer
to as the irresistible calling. He says, I will and they shall. Turn with me to John chapter
10. John chapter 10. John chapter 10, we'll begin
reading We'll read the first five verses. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he
that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and
he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the
voice of strangers. Here our Lord tells us that the
sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name,
and that the sheep follow him, because they know his voice,
that same voice that calls them. And there are many places in
the scriptures that talk about God's irresistible calling. We
are told that it is specific. He says, my sheep, not general. And that is without repentance,
that is, that it will never be rescinded or taken back by God. As Paul tells us in Romans 11,
29, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God is not an Indian giver. He
doesn't call a man or woman. and then decide later, you know,
this guy just, I didn't think he was going to be this bad.
I don't think I want him to be one of my sheep after all. Paul
says that it is without repentance. That means that God does not
change his mind, that he bestows the gifts of the Spirit and later
decides he wants them back. That's not going to happen. Those
who are called by God, we are told, are kept by the power of
God. Those verses that we love so
dearly in Jude 24 and 25 tells us this truth. It says, not to
him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever. Amen. This calling of God is
a high calling, as Paul tells us in Philippians 3.14. He says,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. It's a holy calling. In 2 Timothy
1 verses 8 and 9, he says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as prisoner, but be thou
partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power
of God, who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our own works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which he gave us, or which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. It is a heavenly calling, as
we're told in Hebrews 3.1. Paul says, therefore, or wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ. His calling originates in heaven,
and it ends in heaven. And notice in all three of these
verses, when Paul's talking about this calling, it has everything
to do with Christ Jesus. Paul always made a point of hammering
home this truth. Everything we have, everything
we have in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is an unmerited calling, meaning
that we did nothing and can do nothing to make ourselves worthy
of God's calling. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians
1, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty, and base things of the world,
and things which are despised. hath God chosen, yea, and things
which are not, to bring to naught things that are. Why did he do
that? That no flesh should glory in
his presence. And we're told in that verse
that we love so dearly in Romans 8, 28, that if we are among the
called, and only if we are among the called, do we have the promise
that all things work together for good. Folks love to quote
that verse. And yet they like to quote just
part of it. All things work together for good to those who love God.
That's not where it ends. It goes on to say, to those who
are thee called according to his purpose. In 2 Thessalonians
2.13 and 14, it says, we are bound to give thanks always to
God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But some will no doubt say, what
about that verse that says, many are called, but few are chosen?
That is what we refer to as a general calling. That takes place when
men stand and preach the gospel. It is likened to the sower of
seeds. that He goes out and sows seed.
Some take root, some does not. In Luke 14, turn there with me. Our Lord uses a parable to illustrate
this very point. In Luke 14, let's begin reading
in verse 16. Luke 14, 16. Then said he unto them, a certain
man made a supper, and bade many, and sent his servant at suppertime
to say to them that were bidden, come, all things are now ready. And they all with one consent
began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have
bought a piece of ground and must go and see it. I pray thee,
have me excused. And another said, I have bought
five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them. I pray thee, have
me excused. And another said, I have married
a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and
showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house,
being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets
and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed,
and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it
is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the
lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in, that my house may be full. Now this
word compel, it has several meanings. One, to force a person to do
something or to drive or constrain, to necessitate or require, as
by force or circumstance, or to demand. And this third meaning
is the one that we have here in our text, to exert a strong,
irresistible force upon. That third definition is the
one that pertains to us. Our God makes His elect willing
to come when He calls them. There has never been a sheep
of God who has been called who has not come to Christ. And there
are many times where this word called is used in the New Testament.
I actually didn't realize this until I began this study. And
if I were to read them all, we'd be here till way up in the afternoon. But let me just read a few. You
don't need to turn there, I'll just go through them quickly.
Referring to this calling of the saints of God, in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1, verses 1 and 2, Paul said, Paul called to be an apostle
of Jesus Christ through the will of God in Sotheby's our brother
unto the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints with all that in
every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In
that same first chapter, verse nine reads, God is faithful,
by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. 1 Thessalonians 2.12, that ye
would walk worthy of God, who hath called you into his kingdom
and glory. 1 Peter 1.15 reads, but as he
which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation. 1 Peter 2.21, for even here unto
were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example that we should follow his steps. Ephesians 4.4
reads, There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called
in one hope of your calling. 2 Thessalonians 2.13, For we
are bound to give thanks unto God for you always, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul tells us in
Romans 1-7 that we are the beloved of God and called to be saints. And that this calling of God
is a calling that brings us from darkness into light. 9 says,
but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy
nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light. And Paul tells us in 1 Timothy
that the end result of our calling, which is eternal life. Paul says,
fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto
art also called, and has professed a good profession before many
witnesses." So how is it that the elect of God hear his calling
and other men and women don't? Is it because we made better
choices? Because we're smarter than they
are? Because we just decided to turn our life around and they
didn't? Our Lord speaking to His disciples in Matthew 13 tells
us the reason for this. Turn there with me, Matthew 13. Lest we assume that we are just
smarter than everyone else, that we've made better decisions,
that we decided that we needed Jesus for our personal Savior.
In case you even begin to think that, read these verses with
me. Matthew 13, we'll begin reading
in verse 10. And the disciples came and said
unto him, why speakest unto them in parables? And he answered
and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but unto them it is not given. For whosoever hath to him shall
be given and he shall have more abundance, but whosoever hath
not from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore
speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not,
and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them
is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing
ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall
see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is wax
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and should understand with their
hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed
are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men
have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen
them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard
them." These verses should make us fall on our face before God
and give thanks to his goodness. To us it is given. Christ himself
He said in John 6.65, Therefore I say unto you that no man can
come unto me except it when given him of the Father. And Christ
said much the same thing in John 6.44. He said, No man can come
unto me. It is virtually impossible. It couldn't be any plainer. No
man can come unto me. except the Father which hath
sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
If this were the only verse in Scripture that talks about God's
election, it would be enough. But there are many others, as
we well know. But it could not be any plainer. Christ said,
no man can come unto me. Now this drawing is a sovereign
work of God. He decides who comes to Christ
and who doesn't. He decides who hears and who
doesn't. He decides who sees and who doesn't. And he decides who is the called
and who are not. To the Jacob's of this world
it is given, to the Esau's of this world it is not. Faith,
we are told plainly, is the gift of God. Without it, you cannot
hear the things of God. You cannot see the things of
God. You cannot understand the things
of God, and to us it is given to know the hidden things, to
know those things that are hid to unbelievers. Paul, throughout
his writings, called these hidden things of God mysteries. Keep in mind what we're talking
about here, that God has shown to us things that the world cannot
see. Colossians 1, 25 through 27,
Paul says, whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation
of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which hath been
hid from ages and from generations, but miraculously, but now is
made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Paul tells us in Romans
16, 25, not to him that is a power to establish you according to
my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world
began. Think about that. Was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made manifest by the scriptures
of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Ephesians
3.1, Paul tells us, For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of
Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation
of the grace of God, which is given me to you, how that by
revelation he hath made known unto me this mystery. as I wrote
in a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand
my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was
not known unto the sons of men, but is now revealed unto his
apostles and prophets by the Spirit. And why did he do that? That the Gentiles should be fellow
heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ
by the gospel. Now, knowing all of this, number
one, that we are called of God, that number two, that we are
drawn to Christ by the Spirit, number three, that we are shown
mysteries that have been hid from ages, and at number four,
that we are given the gift of faith in Christ, which is not
given to so many others, I ask you, what manner of people ought
we to be How can we not stand in awe of the goodness of God? How can we, who are the called,
not be the most thankful people on earth? That God, from the
beginning, had chosen us to salvation and belief for the truth. Now, if you're sitting here today,
or you're listening over the streaming, and you've never bowed
to the Lordship of Christ, I would encourage you to do one thing. Plead to God for mercy. Ask him to make you one of the
called. If he doesn't, you're doomed
to an eternity of unimaginable suffering in your present state
of unbelief. Let me read one verse in the
book of John. This is, in my opinion, such
a solemn, solemn warning. John 3, verse 36. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him." The wrath of God is hanging over
your head. It is such a solemn verse, in
my opinion, that the wrath of God abides on lost sinners. But I would also encourage you
with this, lost man or woman, there has
never been a time, never an instance in the Scriptures that we can
read where one came to Christ, beseeching Him for mercy for
themselves or others, that that mercy was not given But understand this, you're helpless
to help yourself unless God gives you the gift of faith, unless
the Father draws you to Christ, unless God gives you ears to
hear. You must forever perish under
his fierce wrath. But also know this, that there's
never been a sinner go to hell crying out for mercy, never.
It has never happened, it never will. And you will not be the
first. Let your attitude be as the old
hymn says, I can but perish if I go. I am resolved to try. Seek the Lord while he may be
found, the scriptures tell us. I'll leave you with this thought.
There's only two things that our God delights in, the scriptures
tell us. Number one, that he delights
in his son. Proverbs tells us that before
What we know is time began, that He was daily in the bosom of
the Father, daily His delight. And the other thing that God
delights in is showing mercy. There's no other place in the
Scriptures, if I can put it in human terms, that tell us anything
that makes God happy except His Son and except showing mercy. So I would encourage you to seek
Him and plead as Bartimaeus did, Thou Son of David, have mercy
on me. Jimmy, come lead us in a song.